Probally the country's most well known fish,

Stocks of Cod have improved in some areas over the last five years, however stocks are still extremely low and Cod remains on the WWF list of endangered species. (by the way that is not the World Wrestling Federation !) Research shows that the stocks of Cod could be as low as 10% of stocks found 30 years ago.

The size of fish has also diminished. A realistic "Target" size is should be around the 5lb mark, aim for this and if you hook into a larger fish it will be a nice surprise.

With the exception of Dorset and South Devon, the whole of the UK coast offers potential for what is probably the most well known of the Sea fish species.

Cod Fishing season starts in late September, as soon as we start getting some Atlantic gales and the swell starts to get a bit rough, the fish will start moving in nearer the shore. October will see the numbers steady increasing, with the best results being produced in November and December. After this the decline sets in and catches will reduce, although the odd fish may be around until May / June feeding in rough ground areas.

September also enjoys a bountiful supply of peeler crabs, so as the Cod moves in shore they merrily feed on this new food supply. For this reason Peeler makes an excellent choice for bait.

If you are going for the larger Cod, you will need to be brave and start fishing in the rough ground spots, rather than smooth sandy beaches. Look for exposed boulders, mussel beds  or broken wrecks. At low tide, identify these marks, if need be make a sketch and then as the tide comes in, aim for these spots when casting. Such features will become home to many small live food species. This live food acts as the local take away, for our friend the Cod. Get you bait in amongst the live food and you won't be needing a take away yourself !

Shallow rough beaches can offer good opportunities and ignore those people who say that Cod will not feed in shallow water. If the mark is right, there's no reason why a 5lb Cod can not be caught in a meter of water. It is true to say that the best marks are those with a water depth of around 3 meters  with holes and gully's up to 6 meters, but the Cod will not be exclusive to such areas These type of venues can be found all round the Scottish Coast and the North East of England.

The biggest catches will always be during the three days, either side of a spring tide. Fish may be found on the deeper tides, but only in any reasonable quantity when a storm has stirred up the food supply.

A bumpy big tide over a boulder beach should give you some good results. Try the last three hours of the ebb and the first two hours, straight after a flood tide.

When looking at your notes you made, remember where the deep gullies or scars in the rock were. They won't be so important in a flood tide, as the fish will come inshore anyway, but if the tide is low  or the surf is too rough to fish these are the spots where the Cod may be feeding.

Get to know the depths of these gullies and scars, if they are shallow, they will be fished better at night, but if they are really deep, they should hold fish in daylight too.

An important thing to remember is "Clear water is not Cod water !" Cod hate clear water and will not head any where into gullies or foreshores if the water is clear.

Your best rig for Cod is a fixed paternoster, with a pennel hook arrangement. (See our Rigs section for details) 

The choice of baits will be seasonal. In September and October try and get peeler. Cut a whole crab in half and tie well, with bait elastic, to your pennel rig. The scent of the peeler is unresitable to any feeding Cod, so if your bait is presented well, you should be able to hook into your target.

A hook well loaded with Peeler will attract feeding Cod.

After the peelers have gone, lugworm is the choice, but do not scrimp with the bait. Any self respecting Cod will turn up his nose to a single or double worm hanging there waiting. Load up your hook with 6 to 8 lug worms and make sure they are the big juicy ones, not the tiny little grubs that some tackle shops will try to pass off. A well stocked trace will put out a scent trail and lure in any fish that are feeding in the vicinity.

Once you have loaded your trace, a bit of accurate casting should put the bait exactly where you want it, remember distance does not mean success. It may be the "Hot Spot" is 50 yards out, it all comes back to that survey at low tide.

Any way once you have placed your bait, just tighten the line until the tip is slightly bent and then it all eyes on to the rod tip. Look for the tip to make a couple of knods before bending over hard or springing straight, as soon as you get this take up any slack and hit the hook home. The fight will then be on, the may make for the bottom in deeper water, but in shallower water they give up the fight fairly quickly. They may make the occasional burst so be ready, let them take line if needed.

Good luck with your efforts and let us know how you get on.

Don't forget to post us a report !